


Paper Bag

by LucindaAM



Series: A Day in the Life [12]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied Smut, Light Swearing, Multi, Stalker, no actual smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27156677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: You have a stalker. Bucky's pissed.Based on this prompt by Thepracticalheartmom:“Are you really trying to cover my face up with a paper bag right now?”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: A Day in the Life [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946242
Comments: 33
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thepracticalheartmom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepracticalheartmom/gifts).



You glanced at the photo’s you held in your hand and sighed. “Nothing, again I assume, right?” You asked. 

“I’m afraid not, Miss.” JARVIS said stoically. Nothing I can trace anyway. Perhaps it is time to bring the rest of the team in on the matter.” 

You pushed to your feet quickly. “No, no. No need for that.” 

“Miss. . .” 

“There’s no need.” You emphasized. “I can handle it.” 

JARVIS was silent for a suspiciously long time before finally; “Very well.” 

You nodded to yourself and slid back into your seat as you picked up another one of the pictures. It was flattering at least. 

You heard the doorknob to your office twist, and you threw open your desk drawer and flung the entire contents of your desktop into the drawer and slammed it shut just as Steve stepped into the room. He eyed you oddly. “Hi, sweetheart.” He paused. “Is this a bad time?” 

You propped an elbow up on the desk and plopped your chin at it as you made an awkward shrugging movement with your shoulders. “Uh . . . pfffffff. No. I don’t think so.” 

Steve squinted at you. “Right. Well . . . I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with me.” 

You glanced around you. “Is it that time already?” You asked, faking a loud and dramatic yawn all why wondering silently why the hell you were the way you were. 

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, a sure sign he wasn’t buying what you were selling. You jumped to your feet and sauntered over to him, trying to put an little extra bit of swing in your walk. You ran your hands up his chest and linked them behind his neck. “I’d love to go to lunch with you, baby.” You said softly, batting your eyelashes up at him. 

Steve swallowed hard and his arms loosened so they could wrap around your waist. You bit your lip. “Then again, we could always . . . you know . . . have fondue for lunch instead.” 

Steve’s eyes heated with something hungry and you squealed as he abruptly wrapped his hands around your thighs and picked you up. You laughed as you wrapped your legs around his waist and he marched out of your office. 

You leaned your lips close to his lips. “Hungry, huh?” You giggled. 

Steve’s hands squeezed your thighs and he twisted his face to press as hungry kiss against your lips. 

“Bucky . . . still . . . at the range?” You asked in between kisses. 

“Just us.” Steve breathed out. 

You smiled mischievously against Steve’s lips and he groaned. 

“You’re gonna kill me one of these days, doll.” He murmured, pulling away as the elevator doors closed behind you. 

You wove your fingers through his hair and pulled him back down. “What a helluvah way to go.” 

Bucky knocked on the door to your office. “Doll?” He asked. The door opened slightly against the pressure of his knock. He poked his head inside. “You in here?” He asked. 

The office was empty. 

Bucky was about to leave and try his luck at the apartment when a fluttering near your desk caught his eye. Bucky stepped closer to your desk and cocked his head as he looked at the corner of a picture that was sticking out of your desk drawer. 

Acting on instincts honed over years of spy work, Bucky didn’t think twice as he opened your desk drawer and glanced at the contents. 

His jaw tensed and his eyes darkened in homicidal rage as he glanced at the contents. His arm whirled in frustration as he grabbed a handful of the images and stalked out of your office. 

You smiled at Steve across the counter, your chin propped up in your hand. “You gotta add more.” You said. 

Steve glanced at the cup of coffee he’d already dumped an unseemly amount of sugar into. “Doll, if I add any more sugar, you’ll be drinking a cup full of diabetes.” 

Your grin grew even larger. “But without it, I wouldn’t be half as sweet.” 

Steve glanced at your glowing face, surrounded by bedhead and a grin that could put Peter’s to shame and he realized he’d never been more in love with you than he was in that moment. 

He leaned across the counter and pressed a kiss to your lips. He shrugged a shoulder as he pulled away. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Taste’s pretty sweet to me.” 

You seemed to melt, and Steve couldn’t help the proud smirk that crossed his face. 

Steve dumped a few more spoonsful of sugar into your mug before he slid it over to you. You gripped it gratefully and took a sip just as the door to the apartment burst open. 

You instinctively blinked to the locker room and back again in less than a second, handing Steve his shield as you both slipped into defensive positions. 

Bucky stormed into the apartment and you blinked as your brain struggled to catch up. 

“Buck?” Steve asked, catching up first. 

Bucky slammed the photos in his fist down on the counter with a thunderous crack and gestured at them angrily. 

You and Steve exchanged a glance before you both looked down. 

Your breath caught. You could feel the glare Bucky was leveling your way and you swallowed hard. 

“What . . . what is all this?” Steve asked, an unfamiliar tremor in his voice as he set his shield aside and started shifting through the images. 

You took a step back, your gaze shifting to Bucky who was eyeing you with an unreadable but hardened expression on his face. 

“It’s nothing.” You said quickly. 

Bucky took a threatening step towards you. He pointed angrily at the stack of photos. “THAT’S NOT NOTHING.” He growled. 

You gulped. 

Steve glanced up sharply at the dangerous tone in Bucky’s voice. 

“Buck . . .” He said warningly. 

Bucky shook his head and rounded on Steve. “Don’t you understand? She’s got a stalker!” 

Bucky was breathing heavily as he glared at Steve who’s own jaw set in an angry line. He held up some of the photos. “This is what you were trying to hide earlier, wasn’t it?” He asked. 

You nodded miserably. This. This was why you hadn’t wanted to say anything. 

Steve sighed and propped his hands against the counter. “Options.” He ordered using his ‘Captain’ voice. 

Bucky rolled his shoulders back as Steve took the threat seriously. “Lockdown.” 

You shook your head and crossed your arms over your chest. “Absolutely not.” 

“Nonnegotiable.” Bucky grit out. 

Your eyes narrowed on him. “How well did it work last time you ordered me around?” You seethed. 

Bucky’s jaw ticked and his eyes narrowed even more as he stared you down; testing your resolve. 

You didn’t budge. 

“Bucky has a point, doll. What if . . .” 

“What if I go outside right now? Huh? Nothing will happen. Just watch.” You stomped towards the door and blinked away when both Bucky and Steve took steps to follow you. 

You reappeared in your bedroom, grabbed a hat, a jacket and the sunglasses off your dresser before you blinked into the lobby of the tower and headed outside. 

“Damn PIG-brained IDIOTS.” You grumbled as you slipped into the flow of foot-traffic outside the building. “And now there’s TWO of them.” You cursed under your breath. “I thought Steve was bad before but he’s so much worse now.” 

You crossed the street and pulled your hat down low over your eyes as you scanned the perimeter as you’d been trained to do. Nothing caught your eye and you let out a slow breath as you kept walking. “Why is it I get two babysitters but they don’t even get one? Huh? Where’s the logic there? Steve practically gets mauled when he walks outside and Bucky’s got more targets painted on his back than hairs on his beautiful, stupid head.” 

You shoved your hands in your pockets. “Don’t know a good thing if it was to hit . . . “ 

Something collided with your head, knocking your hat off your head and suddenly something light and crinkly slipped over your head. Two sets of hands grabbed your arms on either side of your body and you almost blinked away instinctively before the familiar scent of your two idiots flooded your senses. 

“Did . . . did you just . . . Are you really trying to cover my face up with a paper bag right now?!” You demanded. 

“Shhhh.” Bucky hissed from your side as he pulled you through the crowds and back towards the tower. 

“Did you just SHUSH me?!” 

“Come on, doll. Just hear us out.” Steve begged. 

“Oh, I’m going to KILL you both.” You seethed. You blinked out of their hands and reappeared in your rooms in the apartment. 

You ripped the paper bag off your face and locked the doors. You glared up at the ceiling. “You keep them out, JARVIS. You hear me? You keep them OUT.” 

You stomped towards your bedroom. “See how they like the doghouse.” You grumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annael150 suggested a certain reappearance of some fictional characters I made up in a previous update. 
> 
> THANK YOU.
> 
> I cackled SO HARD at this. Hope you enjoy!

Steve and Bucky raced through the hallways to get back to the apartment. Bucky gripped the knob and tried to turn it, but it refused to budge. “Doll!” He yelled, slapping a hand hard against the door. 

Steve sighed, his head slumping forward. “It’s not going to work, Buck. The door’s reinforced, remember?” 

Bucky ground his teeth as he remembered when he ordered Tony to reinforce the entire apartment in case there was ever an emergency situation. Bucky kicked the door in frustration. 

“What are we going to do then?” He demanded. 

Steve shook his head in agitation. 

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck as his anger faded in the wake of Steve’s frustration. “She’ll forgive us. She will.” He said. “She know’s we were just trying to protect her.” 

Steve glanced at Bucky with a dubious expression on his face that seemed to scream; ‘You sure about that?’ 

Bucky sighed. “Nat?” He offered. 

Steve glanced at the door and sighed too. “Nat.” He agreed. 

The two turned to the elevator and rode up to Nat’s floor in silence. The doors dinged open and Steve took a step forward before he glanced up and saw Nat standing in front of the doors with an enigmatic look on her face. Nat stepped into the elevator and Steve gulped as he backed against the elevator wall. Something about this situation was giving me a bad sense of déjà vu. 

Nat pushed the button for one of the lower floors and the doors clinged shut with a sense of finality. 

Bucky and Steve exchanged nervous glances as they stared at the back of Nat’s head. Bucky slowly reached for the dagger sheathed in a hidden pocket in his pants. Steve’s shoulders tensed for a fight. 

Natasha waited thirty painful seconds before she abruptly reached forward and hit the emergency button, stopping the elevator in the middle of several floors. 

She slowly turned around and held up her phone, the enigmatic look still plastered to her face. 

Both soldiers looked at the image on screen. It was a paparazzi picture of them shoving a paper bag over your head. She swiped her thumb and another series of images appeared of them dragging you back to the tower. 

Steve glanced from the phone to her face. Nat quirked an eyebrow. 

“She’s got a stalker.” Bucky said darkly. “We were just trying to protect her.” 

Nat took a single step forward and the elevator shook as Steve and Bucky both flattened themselves against the wall behind him. 

“She’s not the one who needs it.” Natasha hissed. 

Without waiting for a response from either of them, Natasha spun around and kicked the button to continue the elevator. 

The three rode in silence for a bit longer before the doors dinged open on your floor. Natasha stepped out and turned back to the soldiers just before the doors closed again. “You two better have something good planned to get back in your girl’s good graces. I think she’s made her feelings about being manhandled pretty clear.” 

The doors slid shut and Bucky closed his eyes as the weight of the situation finally outweighed the fear that came whenever you were in danger. 

“What are we going to do?” Steve groaned. 

“Flowers.” Bucky nodded to himself, pulling faint memories of his dates in the forties to mind. “Lot’s of flowers.” 

You grumbled to yourself as you stomped through the tower. You could have blinked, sure. But the stomping felt more satisfying. Besides, with your anchor connections, you knew Bucky and Steve were nowhere near this part of the tower. They hadn’t been for most of the day. 

That suited you just fine. You were still mad at them. 

“A bag, though. Seriously? I was ALREADY IN DISGUISE.” You hissed under your breath. “What’s more attention grabbing, Universe? A baseball hat and sunglasses or a PAPER FREAKING BAG?!” 

You threw your apartment door open and stomped inside only to freeze immediately in your tracks. Flowers in various shapes, sizes and colors coated EVERY flat surface in the room. An overwhelming perfume invaded your senses and you couldn’t help it as you sneezed so hard you blinked out of existence and back again. 

You sneezed again as you stumbled backwards out of the apartment. Tears streamed down your face as you sneezed again. 

Dozens of floors below you, Steve and Bucky grimaced as you sneezed and disappeared again. “Oof. That’s not what you want to see.” Sam teased as you reappeared. 

Steve turned a glare on his friend. Sam shrugged. “What? I’m just calling it how I see it.” 

Bucky turned to Sam and knocked his off the table as he leaned in intimidatingly. “Yeah? Then what would you do? Huh?” 

Sam grinned mischievously. “There’s only one thing you can do.” He said. 

Steve groaned and glanced up at the ceiling. He could already tell he wasn’t going to like this idea. “Let’s have it.” He said. 

Sam smiled and pulled out his phone. “Here’s what you got to do . . .” 

A few hours later, you poked your head into the room suspiciously and sighed in relief when the flowers were gone. Pepper had been kind enough to offer to take them off your hands and donate them to various half-way homes, hospitals and rehab centers across the city when you’d gone to her with your little problem and you’d been more than happy to let her take care of it. Though you loved flowers, having that many in such an enclosed space had been torture. 

You pushed open the door and stepped inside. You moved to the kitchen to make yourself a snack and frowned as the silence of the apartment echoed around you. Bucky and Steve weren’t exactly loud, but you’d gotten used to a certain level of activity living with the two of them. You missed it. 

Not that you weren’t still mad. ‘Cuz . . . you were. Of course. It was the principle of the thing. “It was a PAPER BAG.” You grumbled out loud. “Might as well have written the word ‘ugly’ on my forehead in Sharpie.” 

You sliced into your fruit with a little more force than was strictly necessary and nearly sent the thing skittering across the room. 

You sighed and set the knife down on the counter as you bent your head. “I guess it’s sweet they love me that much, though.” You conceded. “And I do worry about them too . . .” 

A knock sounded on the door. 

Just a sec!” You called. You turned to the sink and washed your hands. You dried them quickly before you turned to the door and opened it. 

You blinked. 

You blinked harder. 

You reached up and rubbed your hands against your eyes, convinced you were seeing something. 

Nope. It was still there. 

Steve stood in the hallway. Someone had taken what looked like black spray paint and had badly coated the top layer of his hair, leaving blond streaks poking out underneath. He was wearing a dark tank top with a white, sleeveless denim jacket over the top and sheepish expression to boot. A matching cowboy hat was clutched tightly in his hands. Someone had even taken the time to scribble Sharpie stubble across his jaw. 

You turned to Bucky, who was standing beside him. Bucky’s hair had been trimmed short. It was elaborately styled. Fake sideburns that looked like they had been cut from felt had been stuck to either side of his face. The right one was already peeling away, ready to jump away from the embarrassment it was being forced to participate in. 

A lopsided mustache had been hastily pinned under his nose. He was wearing a white button up shirt. The first five buttons were undone, leaving a broad expanse of bare chest staring back at you. 

“Uh . . .” You blinked again and took a step back into the apartment. “Brett . . . Julio . . . do come in.” 

Steve and Bucky walked wordlessly into the apartment. You shut the door behind them before you turned back to face them. A red blush was already working its way up Steve’s face telling you that he knew exactly how ridiculous the whole thing was. 

You glanced at Bucky again and tried to hold back a hysterical giggle. His eyes were narrowed, and his lips were pursed together in a way you’d only seen on certain web-footed birds. “Are . . .” You took a deep breath to try to calm yourself. “Are you trying to seduce me?” 

Bucky’s expression hardly changed as he spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Is it working?” 

You buried your face in your hands and your shoulders shook as you tried to hide your laughter. Tears streamed down your face. 

“Oh shit.” Steve rushed to your side. “Oh doll. Oh I’m sorry. We’re sorry. We trust you. We do. Please don’t cry.” 

You shook your head and glanced up at the two of them. “I’m . . . I’m sorry. Why did you think this would work?” You cackled. 

Bucky grumbled as he pulled the mustache off his face. “Sam.” The name was pulled from his lips with a tone of promise. Sam was a dead man walking. 

Steve scoffed and tried to run a hand through his hair before he remembered the spray paint. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” 

You calmed yourself and wiped the tears from your eyes. “Was this the whole plan?” You asked breathlessly. “Please tell me there was more.” 

Bucky and Steve exchanged a loaded glance and you jumped on your feet as you clasped your hands together. “Oh, please, PLEASE show me.” You begged. 

Steve’s jaw ticked as he glanced at your pleading form. He tossed his cowboy hat onto the counter and glance up at the ceiling as though begging for patience before he took a step towards you and pulled the collar of his tank top down. “Will you please sign my chest?” He asked in the most put upon tone of voice you’d ever heard. 

You couldn’t help the small giggles that escaped as you moved towards him. You wrapped an arm around his shoulders as you traced your free hand up his chest. “Well that’s quite an apology.” You murmured, leaning in to press your lips against his lightly. “I guess you’re my favorite . . . cowboy.” 

You winked as you pulled out of his arms. 

Bucky grumbled under his breath in Russian as he glared at you and Steve. You shrugged a shoulder as you smirked at him. 

The two of you stared another of your staring contests before JARVIS’ voice broke the tension. 

“Ms. Romanov wanted me to tell you she has apprehended your stalker so your guard dogs can stand down. She would like to know what you’d have her do with him.” 

You quirked an eyebrow in Bucky’s direction. 

He rolled his eyes. “Go ahead.” He murmured. 

You smiled wide as you skipped up to him and pressed a kiss to his lips too. “Thanks . . . Julio. I guess you're my favorite too.” You murmured. 

You turned and booked it out of the apartment. “Love the new looks!” You called over your shoulder. 

Steve and Bucky sighed.

**Author's Note:**

> Any requests for how Steve and Bucky get out of the doghouse? Lemme know!


End file.
